Repost: Where Are All the Blue-Collar Women?

HuffPost Live's Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani recently interviewed Lorien Barlow (@hardhattedwoman), the director of Hard Hatted Woman, a feature-length documentary film that will explore the experiences of American women working in the construction industry.
Ambra Melendez, a journey ironworker; Francoise Jacobsohn (@fjacobsohn), a project manager at Equal Rights Advocates; and Rudy Mulligan, a second-year carpenter apprentice, also contribute their thoughts on the stereotypes tradeswomen confront in a "hyper-masculine arena."

Visit The Huffington Post online to watch the interview.

Visit www.hardhattedwoman.com to learn more about the documentary.

Repost: Become a Union Carpenter [video]

Awesome video just released by the NERCC's Sisters in the Brotherhood to recruit more women to become union carpenters. Pass it along!

Repost: Women in Trades - An Apprenticeship Success Story

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. (OTI) Executive Director Connie Ashbrook's recent post on the USDOL blog provides a concrete narrative of both the challenges that women face in entering the construction trades and the need for Registered Apprenticeship programs to focus on recruiting women. Ashbrook rightly states,

"Although many people believe it is women’s physical abilities that can keep them from succeeding in a trades career, the most challenging obstacle women have to overcome in becoming an apprentice is a lack of knowledge about these careers and how to successfully apply for apprenticeship" (Ashbrook, 17 July 2014).

Programs like OTI's pre-apprenticeship program continue to serve as an integral link for women to access good-paying jobs in the building trades. Read more about OTI and the success of their pre-apprentice Deawendoe “Dee” St. Martin at http://social.dol.gov/blog/.

Repost: What’s Next for Women in the Trades?

Great article written by Michael Theriault, Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council, about the need to recruit and support more women in the building trades:

"While the old Building Trades pattern of white male exclusion of minorities, then, has been largely – even if not absolutely – superseded by a new, more complex reality, we still appear to exclude women.

We and the City can take many practical steps yet toward enrolling and supporting women in the Trades. We can target pre-apprenticeship programs primarily at women, as does a recent Iron Workers multi-trades welding program. We can insist that existing pre-apprenticeship programs target specific numbers of female apprenticeship candidates, as the Carpenters have done at John O’Connell High School. I have advocated for years for childcare programs with construction hours, which would benefit many men as well. We can ask successful Tradeswomen to serve as recruiters and mentors" (Theriault, 30 May 2014).

Visit http://www.sfbuildingtradescouncil.org/ to read the full article.

Repost: Cory Booker, Tim Scott team up for the first time

Great article in The Washington Post about bi-partisan support for registered apprenticeship programs! Here's a preview:

"On Wednesday Booker and Scott teamed up to unveil their first significant piece of legislation designed to help create hundreds of thousands of paid apprenticeships in highly skilled trades, including construction, manufacturing, health care, energy and telecommunications. The hope is that the program will help create jobs for younger Americans, especially minorities struggling to find work. 

Booker and Scott’s LEAP Act (Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs) would provide tax credits to employers who offer apprenticeships to younger job applicants. Companies that offer apprenticeships to people under age 25 would receive a $1,500 tax credit and a $1,000 credit for apprentices above age 25."

Check out the whole article, written by Ed O'Keefe, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/04/09/cory-booker-tim-scott-team-up-for-the-first-time/.

Repost: Building unions seek women

Great press on the new Building Pathways New Hampshire! Please spread the word to any individuals in NH interested in a career in the building trades.

------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, March 4, 2014

New Hampshire’s Building Trades Unions are looking for NH women who are seeking a good career with a future and who like working with their hands as well as their brain; who have a sense of adventure; and who like making good wages and benefits.

Building Pathways New Hampshire, a new pre-apprenticeship program designed to bring Granite State women into high-skill, high-wage construction careers is now seeking applicants for its upcoming training program slated to begin in mid-May. Building Pathways is a five week, hands-on education and training program in the building trades, with commitments to place qualified graduates into union apprenticeships.

Interested women MUST attend one of the four information sessions, which will be held on March 11, 13, 17, and 24 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall, 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hookset.

Classes will start Monday, May 12, and end Friday, June 13, at the Carpenters Training Center in Manchester. Classes will be Monday – Friday, 7 am-3:30 pm, the typical construction day.

Students will get hands-on instruction in a number of trades including carpentry, electrical, sheetmetal, plumbing and more. They will earn their OSHA 10 and First Aid/CPR certificates. They will visit different training centers as well as an active construction site. The class is free of charge, but space is limited – only 13 women will be accepted.

“I’ve been a union carpenter for 25 years. I started my apprenticeship in 1989, and I have loved it. I’ve worked on heavy highway concrete jobs, and high-end finish jobs. I moved up the career ladder and worked for a contractor doing estimating, and now I work for the union. I’ve made good money, and have a real skill that no one can take from me. It’s been an incredibly rewarding career,” said Liz Skidmore, a long-time carpenter and now business manager of Carpenters Union Local 118.

“In most fields, women don’t get paid as much as men doing the same work. In the Granite State, women only get paid $0.77 to the dollar a man makes. I’m proud that in the union building trades, women get paid exactly the same, dollar for dollar, hour.”

Skidmore added, “Construction work isn’t for everyone – male or female; you have to want to work hard and work outside in all weather, but if you love the work, it’s a fantastic career. The health and retirement benefits are exceptional.”

The program is designed for female New Hampshire residents who are unemployed or underemployed, who are physically able to work in construction, are 18 or older, are authorized to work in the US, have a high school diploma or GED, are drug free and agree to drug testing, are on time, are interested in a construction career, can pass an eighth grade level English and math test and who have access to reliable transportation. Women of color and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

The program is sponsored by the NH AFL-CIO, the NH State Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Carpenters Union. It is supported by federal Workforce Investment Act funds, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and program partners.

Anyone interested in applying should contact Joe Gallagher at 603-948-8161 or at buildingpathwaysnh@gmail.com. Program information can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/buildingpathwaysnh

Visit http://www.fosters.com/ to view the original article.

Repost: Settlement Requires New Jersey Contractor, Plumbers’ Union to Recruit More Women

By Lorraine McCarthy

March 3 — A New Jersey mechanical contracting company agreed Feb. 24 to pay a total of $400,000 to settle allegations that it violated state law and regulations barring gender discrimination in employment by failing to employ female plumbers on jobs it handled, including many taxpayer-funded projects (In re Falasca Mech. Inc. and Plumbers & Pipefitters Local No. 332, N.J. Att'y Gen., No. EF14SB-61686, administrative consent order filed 2/24/14).

Under terms of the administrative consent order announced by the New Jersey Attorney General's office, Falasca Mechanical Inc. of Vineland, N.J., will make payments of $250,000 to the state and $150,000 to journeyman plumber Bette Feldeisen, a member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No. 322.

Under its ongoing labor agreement with Local 322, Falasca staffs its projects by requesting workers from the union.

The state alleged that Falasca repeatedly hired less experienced, less qualified male plumbers over Feldeisen and in general failed to make a good-faith effort to employ female plumbers while handling millions of dollars in public works jobs.

Local 322, which is a non-paying party to the same settlement, agreed to join with Falasca in a cooperative effort to increase female recruitment into the union and to increase training and employment opportunities for female plumbers during the next three apprenticeship cycles.

Preferential Hiring of Men Alleged
Feldeisen worked for Falasca on occasional jobs beginning in 2000 and continuously from December 2006 through January 2009, when she was laid off for economic reasons, according to the state's summary of the case.

When the company was hired for a 2009 hospital construction project that required work on medical gas systems, Feldeisen, who holds a certification in medical gas installation, was passed over by Falasca and the union in favor of male plumbers who had fewer years of experience and who weren't certified in medical gas installation, according to the state.

In administrative complaints filed against Falasca and the union in September 2010, Feldeisen alleged that she was passed over repeatedly when Falasca sought plumbers through Local 322 for private and public projects, despite her experience and prior employment relationship with the contractor.

Her complaints alleged gender discrimination in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the state's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rules for public contractors.

The state's investigation showed that “for a period of at least four years, encompassing over 150 public contracts, Falasca has not been in compliance with the EEO rules when accepting and carrying out public contracts,’’ according to the consent order.

Hiring Goals, Recruitment Efforts Mandated
Under terms of its agreement with the state, Falasca makes no admission of wrongdoing or liability.

In addition to the monetary terms of the settlement, Falasca agreed to work with Local 322 to comply with state hiring goals for female workers.

The company also agreed to keep records for at least three years of its efforts to reach hiring goals for women for every public contract it is awarded, including records of all individuals requested or referred from a union and all those interviewed or hired.

Falasca also will develop its own anti-discrimination and EEO rules compliance policy, distribute it to all unions with which the company has a labor agreement, and provide mandatory training on the policy to all project managers, foremen, hiring personnel and the Local 322 business manager.

The settlement includes reporting and monitoring provisions to ensure compliance.

The Local 322 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) has committed to its own outreach and recruitment efforts to attract more women to the apprenticeship program.

The union agreed to undertake outreach to students in at least three vocational-technical high schools during the next five academic years to provide information about the plumbing industry as a career and to encourage first- and second-year female students to pursue careers in the trade.

Representatives of Falasca and Local 322 could not be reached for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lorraine McCarthy in Philadelphia at lmccarthy@bna.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Susan J. McGolrick at smcgolrick@bna.com

Repost: First step towards attracting more women into construction

Published for Sanctuary Housing Association
Wednesday, January, 15, 2014

Keen to play its part in attracting more females to work in the construction industry, Sanctuary Group invited its contractors to a meeting at it offices in London to learn more about the Women into Construction Project.

The Women into Construction Project is a CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) Construction Skills scheme run by the organisation Be Onsite following a successful initiative by the Olympic Delivery Authority at Olympic Park in Stratford. The project aims to create a more balanced work force by removing barriers that might deter women from entering the construction industry.

Committed to attracting more women to work at its developments across London, Sanctuary Group hosted a meeting with Women Into Construction at its offices in Wood Green, where the Group’s development team and some of its contractors (including Ardmore Construction, Bennett Construction Ltd & Bugler Development) learnt more about the initiative.

They heard about the range of options available to women through the scheme, such as work placements on site, apprenticeships, access to further training and careers advice, and the funding available for childcare costs etc to help facilitate women taking up these opportunities.

Janet Mussington, Sanctuary’s head of development for London, said: “There are relatively few women working in the construction industry and Sanctuary is keen to play a part in redressing this imbalance. The presentation from the Women into Construction team was very informative and we are delighted that three of our contractors have already given a commitment to offering work experience placements through the Project.”

She confirmed that Sanctuary Group has female apprentices working in its maintenance team (Sanctuary Maintenance) and via some of its contractors – such as 20-year old Chantelle Wrightson who is doing a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship with Keepmoat at Sanctuary’s extra care development in the north-east.

She added: “We are determined to see many more female apprentices taken on by Sanctuary and our contractors, and more training and employment opportunities created with women in mind to ensure more females can progress a career in the construction industry in the future.”

Visit www.beonsite.org.uk/women-construction-project for more information on the Women into Construction Project.

Visit http://www.24dash.com/ to view the original article.

Repost: Illinois program recruits more women, minorities for construction work

By Judy Masterson

jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com

January 11, 2014

Wesley Simpson of Waukegan is serious about getting a good job, which is why he recently underwent a rugged 11-week training program for road construction.

“Getting this opportunity means a lot,” said Simpson, 33, who last earned $10 an hour as a forklift driver, a job in Aurora, more than 60 miles from home.

Road construction, though seasonal, pays well and offers good benefits. Simpson could earn between $15 and $20 an hour to start. If he lands an apprenticeship, his hourly wage would climb to $37.

“I need the money,” Simpson said. “I have a 6-year-old son to support.”

Simpson graduated in December from T.C.A.R.T., the Transportation Construction Apprenticeship Readiness Training, Referral and Intermodal Placement Program. It’s a long name for a clear-cut goal: recruiting minorities and women for government-funded road construction.

“The bottom line is right now in the state of Illinois approximately 92 percent of highway construction workers are white males,” said Rev. Arthur Gass, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County. “Those numbers have to change if we’re going to be in compliance with state and federal mandates.”

The Black Chamber is one of four community-based organizations − the other three are in Chicago − that are working in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation to recruit and train people for the program, which consists of three-weeks of classes in construction math and comportment and eight weeks of hands-on-construction training in south suburban Wilmington.

Just 125 T.C.A.R.T. spots are available for residents of Lake and McHenry counties; 532 applications were accepted.

Trainees are 85 percent African American, 12 percent Hispanic and 3 percent white, according to Gass, who said federal contracts require 16.9 percent minority and 6.9 percent female participation.

“The workforce ought to reflect the diversity of the community,” Gass said. “Highway construction jobs are supported by the motor fuel tax, 14 percent of which is paid by African Americans and yet we pick up less than 2 percent of those jobs. That’s pretty lopsided.”

Petite Coleman, 30, of Beach Park, last earned $12.31 an hour as a certified computer tech at a warehouse store in Vernon Hills. Her talent and liking for hands-on work came through during the technical training portion of T.C.A.R.T.

“Pouring and laying concrete was my favorite,” Coleman said. “The instructor had me doing multiple things and, by doing so many things, I was involved in the process from beginning to end.”

In road construction, Coleman said, she can work the same amount of hours but double her income. She wants to join a union. Her goal is to become a welding inspector, a job that requires a thorough knowledge of many trades.

“I’m a hard worker,” Coleman said. “I believe that you go to work to do your job. I don’t mind working long hours. I just want to be compensated.”

The Black Chamber will also work to help trainees find jobs for the springtime road construction season.

“We will reach out to any and all contractors, be they union or non-union, and make them aware that our people have the training, that they have the skill sets required and that they will make exemplary employees,” Gass said.

T.C.A.R.T. in Lake County has a 97 percent success rate so far, Gass said. The program has a zero tolerance policy for tardiness or absence. Trainees also have to figure out transportation to Wilmington, 95 miles south of Waukegan. Some have formed car pools. Some commute to Chicago to catch a bus from the Urban League office there.

“These are people determined to work and acquire the skills they need,” Gass said.

T.C.A.R.T., Gass said, “eliminates the excuse that contractors often use: that they can’t find qualified people.”

“They now have a pool of highly qualified people who have proven themselves,” Gass said.

For more information on the highway construction training program T.C.A.R.T., call the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County at (847) 599-9510 or the Chicago Urban League at (773) 285-5800.

Visit http://newssun.suntimes.com/ to view the original article.

Repost: Massachusetts Building Trades face long diversity odds

(Photo Courtesy of Building Pathways)

by Martin Desmarais | 12/4/2013, 11:34am

Increasing the numbers of blacks, Latinos Asians and women in the construction industry and the building trades is an uphill battle, with thousands of workers entering each year and the established diversity programs helping a small number so far, but Massachusetts trades organizations say they are committed to the fight.

Mayor-elect Marty Walsh touted his own effort — Building Pathways, a building trades pre-apprenticeship program serving low-income residents of the Greater Boston area.

The program, which he launched while he served as head of the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District, was designed to help Boston residents, with a focus on women and people of color, learn the skills and receive the credentials to enter building trades apprenticeship programs.

With over 20 different trades and several dozen apprenticeship programs throughout the state, Building Pathways aims to help its students find the right career direction.

Launched in 2011, the six-week skills training, assessment and placement program has had five training cycles with 70 graduates, 95 percent of whom are women and minorities. According to Building Pathways statistics, 85 percent of the graduates have been placed in apprenticeship programs. The last class of 16 participants graduated last month, all of whom were low-income minority Boston area residents, including 10 women.

While Walsh has received plaudits for his diversity efforts, the numbers are just a tiny fraction of the workers who enter the building trades on a yearly basis. According to the Massachusetts Building Trades Council, almost 6,500 workers were enrolled in both union and non-union apprenticeship programs last year — with unions spending close to $30 million to recruit and train new workers. Comparably, Building Pathways has graduated 70 over three years.

Walsh says he recognizes that the Building Pathways program is not going to single-handedly diversify the building trades industry overnight, but he says it is an extremely important program for what it is attempting to do and that it can serve as a model for a way to increase diversity.

He also points out that the only reason the program has had any success at all is because the different building trades are behind the efforts and have guaranteed placement of its graduates — they want to increase diversity.

“All of them are very much into it,” Walsh said. “That was the key to this program.

“It is the only program of its kind that is successful,” he added. “It has been very, very effective.”

Despite their professed commitment to diversifying their ranks, none of the union or non-union building trades organizations would disclose the demographics of their workers.

Frank Callahan, president of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council, says the problem is not about a requirement to track diversity, the challenge is so many different unions and organizations that are run separately and have their own bylaws and charters.

“It is difficult on a whole number of fronts,” Callahan said. “I get frustrated about it myself.”

Callahan says he believes the building trades are sincere in their diversity efforts.

“I go out to the union halls, I see the diversity in members,” he said. “It is something that the building trades have been committed to for quite some time.”

District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson says the unions will have to disclose numbers if they want to make progress on diversifying.

“We know the building trades don’t reflect the population of the city of Boston,” he said. “We need to make sure we’re being thoughtful and deliberate about how we diversify the building trades. We have to be able to measure our gains against a baseline.”

While the Massachusetts building trades continue their efforts without numbers to illustrate the cause, other states that have made pushes for diversity in the trades have estimated numbers — and the results do not reflect much improvement.

A report out of Philadelphia, which cites numbers from the Office of Housing and Community Development collected from 2008 to 2012, found that the makeup of the union members in the building trades by the end of this period were 99 percent male, 76 percent white and 67 percent suburban residents. This number is only union members — non-union numbers have not been recorded — so it may not reflect the true diversity of the building trades workforce.

But the report findings demonstrated that even after Philadelphia officials pushed for diversity there was little impact on the unions that lead the way in the industry.

The National Black Chamber of Commerce was quick to jump on the implications of the report, releasing to the media an open letter in July to U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“We are very disturbed that elected officials as well as civil rights organizations have this cordial relationship with construction unions. Construction unions have consistently discriminated against black workers and contractors,” the letter stated. “Ninety-eight percent of all black construction firms are nonunion. There is a reason — if they join a union the union will manage their employees and thus never hire them for work. The end result is the business being void of any black workers and the former black employees will soon be unemployed.”

The letter also concluded: “These construction unions are a prime contributor to black unemployment.”

Municipal officials in the Maryland, Virginia and the Washington D.C. metro area have also made a push for diversity in the building trades, but like in Massachusetts, there is little data to back up what is actually happening.

While the numbers of minorities in the Massachusetts building trades workforce is small, the increased number of construction projects in Boston has created an opportune time for all parties involved to really target the diversity issue in the Massachusetts building trades.

“Boston is No. 2 in the nation for construction right now, so we are really booming,” said Mary Vogel, executive director of the Construction Institute and program manager for Building Pathways. “This is the opportunity to make sure all of our construction workforce reflects our neighborhoods. Women, in particular, are underrepresented in our industry and we want to make sure they have an opportunity to get these kind of careers.”

View the original article at http://baystatebanner.com.

Aspen Institute's Workforce Strategies Initiative Releases Report on Building Trades Apprenticeship Programs

Completion and Cancellation in the Building Trades, a recent report released by The Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute, analyzes the completion and cancellation rates in construction apprenticeship programs, including

• the barriers apprentices face
• the elements of successful program completion
• current retention efforts, such as counselors, mentoring, and pre-apprenticeship programs
• and recommendations for supporting program completion in the future.

Based on apprenticeship completion data, as well as testimonies from apprentices, journey workers, union representatives, construction contractors, pre-apprenticeship programs leaders, and other stakeholders, this study provides insight into the current state of apprenticeship programs and strategies for improving them.

Visit http://www.aspenwsi.org for more information.

Apprenticeship Applications Being Accepted, Insulators Local 6 Boston

APPRENTICESHIP APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED

Notice of Non-Discriminatory Policy as to Applicants

PROGRAM: Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Joint Apprenticeship, Sponsor #20000

AFFILIATION: Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Union, Local 6 - Insulation Contractors Association of New England

TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION: Mass., Maine, New Hampshire & Rhode Island

TERM OF APPRENTICESHIP: Four (4) years. 150 classroom hours and 1600 job site hours per year.

TRAINING: Related. Learn the types and methods of insulating the various services (hot and cold) that are installed in industrial and commercial installations, power plants, hospitals, pharmaceutical and bio tech facilities. Training will consist of classroom and workshop procedures in the proper use of tools, equipment and application as well as reading construction drawings.

WORK PROCESSES: Assisting journeyman on the job in performing all of the above functions.

MANDATORY ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Valid, Current Driver’s License and Vehicle

AGE: 18 Years or older by September 1, 2013.

TESTS: General Aptitude Test and Interview; Mandatory Physical and Drug Test.

EDUCATION: High School Diploma or GED required.

RESIDENCY: Territorial jurisdiction of Local Union

APPLICATION FEE: $25.00 Non-refundable fee.

APPLY: In person – During the month of April, 2013 – On Mondays and Wednesdays (Except Mon. 4/15/13) between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., at 303 Freeport St., Dorchester, MA. Driver’s license, diploma and application fee must be produced at that time. No exceptions.

TELEPHONE: 617-436-4666

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Equal Opportunity is provided to all regardless of race, color, creed, sex, national origin or sexual orientation.

Visit http://insulatorslocal6.com/ for more information.

Repost: Skilled Women Break Through Barriers to Entry and Promotion in Trades Work

Saturday, 06 October 2012
By Eleanor J Bader, Truthout | Report

Although role models are scarce, training is hard to find and sexism is rampant, determined women are finding professional success and satisfaction in the skilled trades: construction, sheet metal working, welding, pipefitting - and more.

When Leah Rambo became a sheet metal worker in 1988, she never imagined that she'd one day run the apprenticeship program for Local 38 of the Sheet Metal Air and Rail Transportation Union. But a little more than a year ago, she became one of the highest-ranking women in the US labor movement, taking the helm of a hands-on, 4 1/2-year training program for sheet metal workers in New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties.

This year, the program has 306 students, eight percent of them female.

"The challenge is not only to get women enrolled," Rambo says. "If you promote trades work to women, and they see other women doing the jobs, a lot will want in. The bigger challenge is improving the conditions so they stay in the field. Most women experience discrimination or harassment. As a matter of fact, when you are a woman, nobody - not the bosses and not your co-workers - sees your color. Your gender is much more important than your ethnicity or race. The sexism is not as bad as it was, but it is always an issue. Women are still hit on, still don't get the same promotion opportunities and still get laid off more frequently than men." ...

To read the full article, visit truth-out.org.

Career Opportunities to Become a Carpenters Apprentice

Please post this email and share with interested parties.

September 2, 2012

Opportunities to Become a Carpenters Apprentice (click here to visit our website)

New England Carpenters’ Union Apprenticeship Program is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides accepted applicants, the opportunity to learn a trade. Apprentices earn a pro-rated salary while receiving their free training to become Journeyman Carpenter with the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.

Who: Anyone age 17 or older who is a high-school graduate or has a GED. High-school seniors may apply with letters from their schools stating that they are eligible to graduate within three months (high school students should be attending informational sessions in December, January and February if they want to be eligible immediately after graduation).  Women, minorities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

How does someone apply?

·         Prospective applicants must attend an informational session. Informational sessions run approximately one hour.

·         Applications to become an apprentice are distributed at the conclusion of informational sessions.

·         Attendance for the entire informational session is mandatory. Late arrivals will be denied admission to that session.

Scheduled Informational Sessions:

Burlington, VT:
                         Local Union 1996, 5 Gregory Drive, Burlington, VT 05403

·         Saturday September 15, 2012, 8:00 AM

·         Wednesday, January 30, 2013 6:00 PM

Portland, ME: First Wednesday of January, April, July, October at 6:00 PM
                       Local Union 1996, 63 Bishop St, Portland, ME 04103

·         Wed, October 3, 2012 - 6:00 PM

·         Wed, January 2, 2013 - 6:00 PM

·         Wed, April 3, 2013 - 6:00 PM

Manchester, NH: Second Wednesday of January, April, July, October at 6:00 PM
                         Local Union 118, 146 Lowell St, Manchester, NH 03104, 2nd floor

·         Wed, October 10, 2012 - 6:00 PM

·         Wed, January 9, 2013 - 6:00 PM

·         Wed, April 10, 2013 - 6:00 PM

Boston, MA: First Monday of the month at 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM
                    Boston Carpenters Training Center, 750 Dorchester Avenue, 2nd Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125

·         Mon, 09/10/2012 - 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM – Date changed Due to Labor Day Holiday

·         Mon, 10/01/2012 - 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM

·         Mon, 11/05/2012 - 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM

·         Mon, 12/03/2012 - 9:00 AM or 3:00 PM

Millbury, MA: Third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PM
                      New England Carpenters Training Center, 13 Holman Rd, Millbury, MA 01527

·         Wed, 09/19/2012 - 6:00 PM

·         Wed, 10/17/2012 - 6:00 PM

·         Wed, 11/28/2012 - 6:00 PM – Date changed Due to Thanksgiving Day Holiday

·         Wed, 12/19/2012 - 6:00 PM

Application fees for the carpentry apprenticeship program:

·         Effective August 1, 2012 there is a Non-Refundable Application Processing Fee that must be included with applications for apprenticeship.

·         All Applications must be accompanied by Money Order or Bank Cheque made payable to NECTF in the amount of $65.00.

·         The fee is charged to defray the cost of processing applications. It is due at the time an application is submitted. The fee is non-refundable and, therefore, will not be returned if you later decide you didn't want to apply, your application is disapproved, you do not take the required test(s) or you are not successful on the interview. Also, the fee payment cannot be transferred to another application.

What is a Carpenters’ Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship is a training program where you earn wages while you learn to become a skilled carpenter. Apprenticeship combines classroom studies with on-the-job training supervised by a trade professional. Much like a college education, it takes several years to become fully trained in the trade that you choose. Unlike college, though, as an apprentice you’ll earn while you learn. At first, you’ll make less money than skilled workers; but as you progress, you’ll get regular raises. Once you have mastered the craft, you will receive professional wages.

Who can be a carpenter apprentice?

Any woman or man meeting the minimum requirements!  Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Apprentices must be at least 17 years old and in good health. A physical may be required. S/he must pass a drug and alcohol test.

A high school diploma or GED is preferred. However an Applicant may provide proof of satisfactory completion of a pre-job preparatory course in Carpentry of at least six (6) months, such as United Brotherhood of Carpenters Job Corps, or other approved carpentry apprentice preparatory course. Documentable on-the-job training of six (6) months or 1500 hours experience as a carpenter would also qualify an applicant as having met the minimum educational requirements.

What are the rewards of apprenticeship training?

The rewards of apprenticeship training are the good wages and benefits you receive as a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC). There are over half a million UBC members in the United States and Canada. You'll be working under the protection of a union contract for a good contractor. This means you will become eligible to have health insurance, a pension and an annuity. It pays to be the best you can be, a well-trained Union Carpenter.

Equal Opportunity:

The New England Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Funds are committed to equal opportunity for applicants. The recruitment, selection and training of apprentices during their apprenticeship shall be without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, creed, handicap, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, arrest record, conviction record, or membership in the military forces of the United States. The ATF will take affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in apprenticeship, and we will operate the apprenticeship program as required under Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 30 and all other applicable laws.

For more information, contact the Apprenticeship Office at:

New England Carpenters Training Fund - Apprenticeship Office 13 Holman Rd, Millbury, MA 01527

Phone: (508) 792-5443 or (617) 782-4314

Sign-up to receive our Apprenticeship e-Newsletter:        www.NECarpentersTraining.org/faq

Find us on Facebook:                                                        www.facebook.org/nectf

From BBC: Electricians job scheme looking to expand

By Victoria KingBBC News

Continue reading the main story

A scheme training women in social housing to be electricians is looking to expand. But its advocates believe changes in attitude from the government and employers are needed to help initiatives like it to thrive.

A year ago, mother-of-three Nicole Briscoe was job hunting with little optimism. Now she is on her way to becoming a skilled tradeswoman and is planning to set up her own business.

Nicole is one of 11 women taking part in Wired for Success, a training scheme run by the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA). All of them are tenants of housing association L&Q which teamed up with the ECA to get the initiative off the ground.

It's the brainchild of Diane Johnson, the first female ECA president, who is adamant it can - and should - expand, both geographically and to other trades.

"It is a no-brainer," she says. "These people are on benefits - and the minute they're qualified they can come off them."

Round-the-clock

Flexibility is key to Wired for Success.

Nicole's youngest daughter was just five when she signed up, and it was the seemingly impossible task of fitting fulfilling, financially viable work around her child that had until then kept her out of the job market.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

The empowerment I feel knowing where I'm going to be at the end is amazing”

Nicole BriscoeWired for Success trainee

This programme, however, allows her to begin work later in the day - after taking her daughter to school - and finish work in time to pick her up.

John Blaus, from Electrical Assessment Services, is actually at the plug-face, so to speak, training the women - and in his words, he's never worked with "a more dynamically committed group of people".

But he stresses just how much support has to be provided to make the scheme work - support given round the clock by one of his colleagues, Jan Emery.

"At 10.30 last night she was dealing with a problem with a lady who just had not got sufficient finance to get to the workplace today," he says.

"Without her I think we would have lost two or three ladies by now due to natural issues and problems they come across."

There's no doubt that such a level of flexibility and support presents a challenge for traditional - often male-dominated - industries, as well as colleges and similar institutions.

They would almost certainly need help themselves to overcome such challenges.

Benefits issues

Another issue Nicole and her fellow trainees have encountered is with the benefits system.

Wired for Success is not recognised by the Job Centre as a training programme, so they are still under pressure to be looking for work in order to qualify for JobSeekers Allowance.

As Diane Johnson puts its: "These girls are actually in training and yet we cannot seem to prove to the benefits agency that they are not sitting at home doing nothing.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

There is far too much money that is being deployed to the commercial benefit of training providers”

Iain MacDonaldElectrical Contractors' Association

"We actually need help on that and any scheme like this would need help."

Even very simple things can present difficulties - Nicole's National Insurance number requires her to sign on at the Job Centre on a Tuesday but that's one of her training days.

"Those little issues may seem small, but they are issues in terms of just being able to get on with your work," she says.

"All that said, I'm on this course and I'm loving it. The empowerment I feel knowing where I'm going to be at the end is amazing."

Labour MP Catherine McKinnell, who is a friend of the scheme, says problems like these, while not inevitable, are "constantly recurring", but she hopes the forthcoming switch to Universal Credit will provide an opportunity to make the benefits system fit better alongside different forms of training.

The government has also launched an independent review of its apprenticeship programmes, so the hope is that this sort of feedback can be fed into that.

'Non-productive outcomes'

There is only ever a going to be a limited pot of funding for schemes like Wired for Success, and while it is expensive, those involved believe it's a considerable improvement on much of what is going on now - and would be better for the taxpayer in the long term.

"What I don't understand is that the government is happy to provide money to put people on courses, then when they finish the course they don't go anywhere," Diane Johnson says.

"They stay on benefits, there is no job at the end.

"If there was some support for this initiative then basically we can guarantee that these people would never go back on benefits again because they can go out and earn a living."

Iain MacDonald, head of education and training at the ECA, goes further.

"As an industry we often see substantial amounts of funding being directed towards non-productive outcomes. I would like to see public money being directed towards what you would term an industry-recognised outcome.

"There is far too much money that is being deployed to the commercial benefit of training providers and not the commercial benefits of the industries the qualifications purport to serve."

Everyone involved in Wired for Success agree that while it might sound counter-intuitive, schemes to tackle unemployment can't just be expected to conjure up jobs.

Instead, the focus has to be on providing people with skills, so if vacancies come up, they're ready - or alternatively, they can set up their own businesses from scratch.

Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18492957

US Department of Labor announces $300,000 grant to Action for Boston Community Development Inc. to support women in nontraditional occupations

WASHINGTON ‒ Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced awards of $1.8 million in grants to consortia in six states through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program.  Among the grantees is Action for Boston Community Development Inc. in Boston, Mass., which will receive $300,000.

“Apprenticeship programs are effective pipelines into growing industries. But too often, these programs are not as accessible to women. The federal grants announced today will better connect women with apprenticeships, helping them to gain skills in fields that offer long-term career opportunities,” said Secretary Solis. 

The grants will support innovative projects that improve the recruitment, hiring, training, employment and retention of women in apprenticeships in industries such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and construction. Within these industries, the grants will fund activities focused on three occupational areas: existing occupations expected to experience primarily an increase in employment demand, existing occupations with significant changes to work and worker requirements, and new and emerging green occupations.

The six grantees are community-based organizations, each of which has formed a consortium with a local Workforce Investment Area and at least one Registered Apprenticeship program sponsor. This consortium-based approach is intended to ensure that women served by WANTO grants have access to a range of supportive services and training, as well as to specific nontraditional employment opportunities.

Each grantee will be required to place at least 50 participants annually and at least 100 participants over the life of the two-year grant into a Registered Apprenticeship program. 

The grants are jointly administered by the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau and its Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship. For information about the department’s range of employment and training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov.

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grants

Grantee City    State   Funding Amount 
Action for Boston Community Development Inc.    Boston  Mass.   $300,000       
Chicago Women in Trades Chicago Ill.    $300,000       
Goodwill of North Georgia  Inc. Atlanta Ga.     $300,000       
Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. Portland        Ore.    $300,000       
West Virginia Women Work        Morgantown      W.Va.   $300,000       
Women In Non Traditional Employment Roles       Los Angeles     Calif.  $300,000       
Total   $1,800,000     

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.